Solar chimney in prior art comprises base which is affixed to the ground. The base includes openings which allow ambient air flow into the base. Above the base is elongated chamber through which the airflow from the base moving upward. This elongated chamber slope inward with the distance from its bottom, resulting in higher speed of wind flowing up towards the outlet part of the chamber.
The air flowing upward through the chimney drives turbine which is disposed inside the chamber.
The turbine is connected to gear box and electric generator which are mounted inside the chimney. The gear box contains gears which connect the turbine to the generator, wherein rotation of the wind turbine generates electric power.
Disposed within the chamber are means for heating air in the chamber by solar energy. The heat exchanger located in the chimney is connected by heat transfer conduits to solar collector located external to the chimney, wherein the solar collector transfers heat to the heat exchanger.
Another heat exchanger also located in the chimney receives direct solar radiation from outside the chamber. This heat exchanger receives solar energy which is focused by lens and passes through an opening in the wall of the solar chimney, and impinges on heat exchanger. This heat exchanger functions both as solar collector and heat exchanger. It receives solar radiation and converted to electric power.
Auxiliary burner is a non-solar heat source which is used in the event that there is insufficient solar energy. The burner could be a gas burner, or some other conventional heat source, which heats the air in the chimney instead of the solar collectors/heat exchangers.
The solar chimney in prior art comprising a wind energy storage system, wherein a vertical axis wind turbine, being mounted in a vicinity of the outlet of the chamber, is connected to an air compressor, wherein rotation of the vertical axis wind turbine causes the air compressor to operate, and wherein the air compressor is connected to drive an air-driven motor which is connected to operate the exhaust wind turbine inside the chimney near the outlet end.
The upper half of the elongated chamber slope outward with distance from the most narrow part of the chamber, wherein wind flow from the most narrow part toward the outlet end at the top of the chamber.
The solar chimney of the prior art described above, in which the base includes openings only allow ambient air to flow in to the base. But in the present invention the solar chimney comprises a set of vanes below the inlet or the base, wherein the vanes assist in guiding enmeshed ambient air toward the inlet and flows up spirally in the chimney.
The solar chimney of the present invention also comprises torus at the outlet end of the chimney creating additional suction to the air flowing upward through the chimney.
The solar chimney of the present invention further comprising outer annular cylindrical cage with a set of vanes, surrounding external vertical axis wind turbine and forming a series of duct, resulting to ever higher pressure and faster rotation of the wind turbine.
The solar chimney of the present invention has special storability of excess of energy by using fluid as a phase changing material.